| Just last year Laudrup was the up and coming manager, maybe even the next big name. What a difference a year makes in soccer. I first saw Laudrup play for Denmark many years ago. To this day I rate him as one of the best players I have seen. He was a highly skilled sophisticated player that could unlock the tightest defenses. Laudrup was a creator on the field. He could have fit into the great Pep Guardiola teams at Barcelona with Messi, Xavi, Villa, Piqué and still have looked special. I bet Laudrup never wanted to play long ball to a target forward as a player. He was to talented for that approach to the game. That however might have been the problem. When managers take over a mid to lower tier club they have to adjust their tactics to fit the personnel. I know Brendan Rodgers played possession at Swansea and Laudrup was success as well for a little while. The reality is it won’t last. Players that can hold the ball and create will leave and the club will cash in. Joe Allen was taken by Brendan Rodgers right away. How many players did Roberto Martinez lose when they played well? That’s my point. Beautiful football needs cash. Roberto Martinez still got relegated with Wigan remember. People rate him as a top manager and Wigan waved bye bye to the Premier League. The point is without proper personnel there is no wonderful possession game. Laudrup failed to adjust his style or didn’t know how to. He needed to employee tactics and personnel that would help that specific group win games and he fell a little short. If Laudrup was at a more talented club he would do very well I am willing to bet. That is no disrespect to Swansea by the way. Tony Pulis and Harry Redknapp get what it takes to swim with the sharks mid to bottom of the table and stay alive. It’s often not pretty soccer but it is what’s needed. I like Laudrup and hope to see him at another team. Swansea will be demoted eventually anyways. Maybe they find a new coach who can organize and keep things boring and tight, kick the ball long, bring in a fast powerful forward who couldn’t make it on a possession team and see if they can get a result occasionally. In the end their going down anyways. I would rather bring Ian Holloway back. At least he had some guts with Blackpool and put on an attacking show. Cause in the end your going down. So you might as well go down in flames! Best of luck to coach Laudrup and I hope he gets to a rich club that wants to keep the ball. |
Developing The Soccer Brain
